This is great to hear....and you look pretty good (if pasty) in that first pic. In fact, I'd say you comfortably "out-pasty" me there. :)
Ha!! That was an interesting time. I just realized that those pictures are from April, July, September 2009. I think the point I was attempting to show was how quickly my body composition changes. This was within a year of beginning to court the SO. She is the one who really got me into hiking. At the time, I was working the graveyard shift, and with the exception of the one extremely tiring day I stayed up to hike, I never got outside. So even though I lived in Colorado, with it's 300 days of sunshine, I never got outside. And yet I'm still a little bit stoked that I can out-anything JS, even if it is just pastiness.
Also, that was the year I started getting major blood panels done every year. My physician said that he had never seen anyone with such low levels of Vitamin D...ever! I took a ridiculous amounts of supplements for over a year just to get on the low level of the scale.
I know all about the caloric consequences of boozin'...it's probably the biggest factor in my pre-FIRE "rotundness". Still not entirely sure I was an alcoholic since I pretty much lost the desire to drink as soon as I pulled the pin on my career. Doesn't matter now I suppose. Alcohol is now consumed in extreme moderation - almost as a well earned reward for my ongoing healthy efforts. Our Red Wine Fridays continues to be a THING.
I would think that going forward in FIRE I will probably sport some variety of perma-tan. I probably had a bit of a golden tone left over in early February from my Nov-Dec stint in Baja...but yeah, pretty pale now. Upcoming trip will get me some colour which will get me into mid-may when I become a kayakin' fiend - and despite 30 proof sunscreen liberally applied the sun, intensified by the reflection off the water, will quickly have Jon_Snow looking very un-snowlike. And yes...I know sun exposure is NOT HEALTHY. :) I do tan quickly and easily...always have.
Yeah, I think I've got my balance back when it comes to boozin'. It's a good feeling. As far as sun exposure goes, it is one of the best ways to get Vitamin D, as long as you don't over do it. I love my sun time, and it's an interesting paradigm, considering I have a history of melanoma in my family, and have even had moles that had cancerous sells (since removed). There was a security podcast in which there was a lot of talk about the host and his ridiculous amount of research. It looks like they've now consolidated all the info
here. Highly recommended, especially if you are concerned about the sun or vitamin D.
I've been thinking about my 500km paddling goal for 2016...not sure how realistic it is. Probably will have to throw in some 40km paddles in there with my usual 20km "around the island" route to do it.
How far do you normally go in a year? When we initially discussed this, I thought it was just an extra day during the week of your usual paddle? And are you going to kayak down in Baja?